The Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Erastus Ethekon, has issued a strong warning to politicians not to incite violence by hiring thugs to assault their political rivals, stating that those who will be found guilty could be disqualified from participating in future elections.
During a visit to Turkana County on Wednesday, Ethekon criticized the escalating phenomenon of political hooliganism and stressed that electoral violence is an assault on democracy and the peaceful political participation of people.
The commission further explained that the commission would take tough action against violators of the Election Code of Conduct and that any individual or political actor who will be found to have financed or facilitated violence during campaign or by-election periods will be held accountable.
Ethekon referred to the recent Kasipul by-elections where those who were found guilty of electoral violence were fined to the tune of KSh1 million.
He warned that those who commit the same offenses could be subjected to even harsher penalties such as being prohibited from vying for elective positions.
He also said that the IEBC is dedicated to facilitating the holding of free, fair, and peaceful elections and urged political leaders to encourage debates on policies instead of intimidation and violence.
Alongside this, the commission has sent out mobile voter registration units as part of the continuity of the voter registration exercise so as to be able to reach more citizens, especially those in remote areas, and the exercise will be coming to an end soon.
